Items tagged with eta
Paying for things with a traditional credit card may feel normal today, but what's it going to feel like in 20 years? 30? Will those thin slips of plastic still be around? Mobile payments haven't exactly skyrocketed to mainstream success, particularly in the United States, but it seems that the trends are changing. With Google Wallet, Isis, Square, NFC and all sorts of other technologies in the mobile payment space finally getting their wings, we could be in for a sea-change that will completely disrupt how we pay for goods. Following news of Starbucks and Square teaming up, the Electronic Transactions Association, the trade association of the global electronic payments industry, today launched...
Read more...
Well, Wal-Mart may be having trouble keeping up with iTunes as far as being the top music retailer, but it doesn't have iTunes as a competitor among video games. Thus, we are where we are ...eMarketer.com conducted a survey of 2,000 gamers aged 12 to 54, dubbed "Are You Game?" It found that Wal-Mart was the most visited retailer for video games, with Best Buy and GameStop tied for second. The margin was 8%, a pretty large margin, as you can see below.After those three comes Target, and then Circuit City and Amazon, tied. Yes, the "I'm closing 155 stores" Circuit City, you've got it; still decently high in the rankings.So, based on this, not only is Wal-Mart the world's biggest...
Read more...
Recent tests have shown that the third Chrome beta version offers faster performance than previous iterations. In these tests, Google Chrome's latest version, 0.3.154.9, shows a 37% improvement in JavaScript performance over the initial beta that was released two months ago.Using Google's JavaScript benchmark, the first beta scored 1,851; the 0.3.154.3 developer release scored 2,265; and the new 0.3.154.9 beta hit 2,546. A higher score is better. In the SunSpider test, Google’s Chrome also scores well, finishing the test in 2,546 milliseconds compared with 2,904 milliseconds for version 0.3.154.3. This new, faster score is close to Firefox 3.1 beta 1’s score of 2,250 milliseconds with the new...
Read more...
This week there seems to be a subtle (or not so subtle) leaking of Intel Core i7 "ecosystem" supporting products from Intel's various manufacturing partners. In keeping with the buzz that will soon culminate into the launch of Intel's next gen platform, EVGA sends word and a few choice snaps of their HOT new X58 SLI FTW motherboard. EVGA is proud to show a sneak peak of a new motherboard based on the Intel(R) X58 Express Chipset, supporting the upcoming Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 processor. The EVGA X58 SLI FTW motherboard will feature 6 DIMMs of triple-channel DDR3 memory, and a board layout optimized for the enthusiast including 2-way and 3-way SLI support. EVGA VDroop control minimizes VDroop...
Read more...
Traditional hard disk storage is living on borrowed time. We know it and storage manufacturers know it. Solid state drives, which use non-volatile memory chips instead of rotating metal discs for storing data, are simply a better medium in the long run. They consume less power, create nearly zero heat, and produce no noise – but best of all, there are no moving parts to wear out over time. The technology and prices aren’t quite there yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Take a quick look through any tech-oriented forum and you will likely run into folks proclaiming the death of traditional platter based storage. For the most part, they're right - but there is a twist to the story as platter based...
Read more...
Traditional hard disk storage is living on borrowed time. We know it and storage manufacturers know it. Solid state drives, which use non-volatile memory chips instead of rotating metal discs for storing data, are simply a better medium in the long run. They consume less power, create nearly zero heat, and produce no noise – but best of all, there are no moving parts to wear out over time. The technology and prices aren’t quite there yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Take a quick look through any tech-oriented forum and you will likely run into folks proclaiming the death of traditional platter based storage. For the most part, they're right - but there is a twist to the story as platter...
Read more...
FIRST DETAILS ON A FUTURE INTEL DESIGN CODENAMED ‘LARRABEE’ Intel Corporation is presenting a paper at the SIGGRAPH 2008 industry conference in Los Angeles on Aug. 12 that describes features and capabilities of its first-ever forthcoming “many-core” blueprint or architecture codenamed “Larrabee.” Details unveiled in the SIGGRAPH paper include a new approach to the software rendering 3-D pipeline, a many-core (many processor engines in a product) programming model and performance analysis for several applications.The first product based on Larrabee will target the personal computer graphics market and is expected in 2009 or 2010. Larrabee will be the industry’s first many-core x86 Intel...
Read more...
Even in the age of green computing and lower power 45nm silicon manufacturing technologies, thermal management, specifically heat mitigation, continues to be a challenge . Maybe you're a dyed-in-the-wool overclocker or perhaps a silent computing buff that wants things whisper-quiet. Then again, even the average "Joe Sixpack" could probably appreciate how unobtrusive a computer can be and that, as savvy HH readers know, can only be achieved through robust, elegant cooling solutions. In that vein and out of the Kingdom of Denmark comes Danamics with the LM10, the world's first commercially available liquid metal-based CPU heatsink. What's that...
Read more...
Delivering the World’s First Truly Affordable High-Performance SSD for Consumers at Price Points Less than 50% of Comparable High Performance SSDs Sunnyvale, CA—July 1, 2008—OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today unveiled the OCZ Core Series SATA II 2.5” Solid State Drives (SSDs). OCZ has gained momentum in this pioneering technology, which uses NAND flash instead of rotating platters as the storage medium, and is a high-performance, highly reliable and energy-efficient alternative to conventional hard disc drives. The OCZ Core Series delivers the performance and reliability of the latest...
Read more...
You'll recall last week NVIDIA announced that its 177.39 drivers would provide PhysX support on the GeForce 9800 GTX, 9800 GTX+, and GTX 260/280 cards. You'll also probably recall the big dust-up over whether or not NVIDIA was cheating in terms of optimizations for various benchmarks. Whether or not you believe that (read their response here), for end users, the real question is: "where are the drivers? I want to try them." NVIDIA has posted beta versions of 177.39 on its site. Just remember, they're beta, so the normal warnings apply. Windows Vista 32-bit Windows Vista 64-bit Windows XP 32-bit Windows XP 64-bit...
Read more...
Starcraft II was announced in May 2007, and Korea went wild. While it may just be coincidence that a number of etailers have posted ship dates for Starcraft II, and that they all picked the same date, is it also a coincidence that Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational Event takes place in Paris on June 28 and 29 this week?Many froth-mouthed fans of Blizzard's intergalactic real-time strategy masterpiece Starcraft have anxiously been awaiting word on when the next installment of the series would land in their anticipatory laps. Blizz has been characteristically tight-lipped about the title's launch window, though we were recently informed that an online SKU search for Starcraft II on Best Buy, Circuit...
Read more...
The Data Center, HotHardware's new community for IT professionals, is sponsored by Dell's Future of Storage. This article is part of our ongoing series of topics and discussions related to IT, Enterprise Storage and related storage technologies. When it comes to Supercomputing, historically, the top dog on the circuit has been IBM's BlueGene/L with its 478+ teraflop (trillions of floating point ops/sec) horsepower, at the ready for solving some of the world's most critical problems and calculations. Applications, like those being researched at the US Department of Energy, take enormous resources. As is the case with the DOE's research in simulation of how nuclear materials will age...
Read more...
The folks over at Skype are hoping that you want to be a beta tester. Starting today, Skype 4.0 Beta 1 for Windows goes into public beta, and there are a number of significant changes in the new version. The most noticeable transformation from the existing client to the new beta is a much lager default video window for video calls. (Skype estimates that about 25 percent of current Skype users use the software's video calling feature.) The user interface is being reworked a bit as well to make it easier to "resize and move your own video window around the screen" and to position your IM conversation window next to the video window. Also, instead of spreading all of your conversations across a...
Read more...
We told you about Dell's attempt to get in on the mini-notebook market a little while ago. Just a glimpse of the lipstick red competitor for the wildly successful Asus Eee PC sent us all into a tizzy. After all, we keep telling manufacturers over and over again we want a smaller, cheaper, sturdier unit to lug around with us that can perform the few functions we need on the go, but handier than your average smartphone. The more details that leak out about the Dell E series of minis, the more it looks like something the average person might buy and use. The 8.9-inch E line, divided into three configs, is designed for what Dell says is "emerging markets" and children as well as "youth social...
Read more...
A few weeks ago, we showed you some pictures of what was supposed to be the ASUS Eee Box desktop PC. Initially, the images evoked mixed reactions from readers. Some thought the Eee Box looked just like a Nintendo Wii, while others questioned whether or not the images were real at all.In the weeks that followed, more news regarding the ASUS Eee Box desktop hit the web and any speculation that the images were 'faked' were eliminated. And today, we can finally put an official stamp on the images because ASUS has revealed the final specifications for what will become the first batch of Eee Box desktop systems. Take a look... Name and Model: Eee Box B202OS: Linux System...
Read more...
ENEMY TERRITORY: QUAKE WARS™ FOR NEXT-GEN CONSOLESINVADES RETAIL STORES NATIONWIDESANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The alien invasion has begun with the announcement that id Software’s Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars™ published by Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system has shipped to retail stores nationwide. Set in the year 2065, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars pits the armies of Earth’s Global Defense Force (GDF) against the invading alien menace, the Strogg, in an all-out struggle for the fate of the planet. Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is slated to arrive on...
Read more...
BioWare has produced numerous hit games over the years, and as such they’ve probably suffered more than the average company at the hands of pirates. As a result the company has decided to use SecuROM for some of their upcoming titles, and Technical Director Derek French provides some details: “Mass Effect uses SecuROM and requires an online activation for the first time that you play it. Each copy of Mass Effect comes with a CD Key which is used for this activation and for registration here at the BioWare Community. Mass Effect does not require the DVD to be in the drive in order to play, it is only for installation.After the first activation, SecuROM requires that it re-check with the server...
Read more...
Mac users represent a small percentage of computer users--about three percent worldwide. But if Mac sales are any indication--up 51 percent in the last year--the number of Mac users are growing rapidly. One of the reasons for this is that all new Macs can also run Windows, allowing users to have access to both operating systems simultaneously via virtualization software.There are several options available for those who want to run Windows on their Macs. Apple's Boot Camp software, which comes with OS X 10.5 (Leopard), sets up a Windows partition so the system can boot directly into the native Windows OS. This way offers the highest level of Windows compatibility and performance, but precludes...
Read more...
Linux is finally starting to make inroads into mainstream computing, as evidenced by the Eee PC and the HP Mini-Note ultraportable laptops. It should come as no surprise that vendors are starting to embrace Linux with open arms, due to its low-cost of entry. VIA Technologies is the latest Linux lover with its launch of the VIA Linux Portal beta Website, intended to provide support to the open source community for development of Linux drivers for VIA-based platforms. A VIA press release stated: "The VIA Linux Portal will initially offer graphics drivers for the VIA CN896 digital media IGP chipset for the new Ubuntu 8.04 LTS distribution. Documentation and source code for these drivers will be...
Read more...
We know that Microsoft has set June 30th as the drop-dead date for Windows XP (despite their statements yesterday). Despite the fact that after June 30th, manufacturers such as Dell are not allowed to ship PCs with XP pre-installed, Dell has come up with an "escape clause."Dell will take advantage of a licensing option in Vista Business and Vista Ultimate that lets PC makers provide XP under the Vista license, which Microsoft calls a "downgrade" license. (Enterprises with site licenses have these same rights with any version of Vista.) In essence, the user is buying a Vista license that it can apply to XP, and Microsoft can still claim a Vista sale.Dell will preinstall XP Professional as a "downgrade"...
Read more...
It's been bandied around for some time: a subscription-based version of Microsoft Office, and on Friday, Microsoft launched just such a service, code-named Albany, in private beta form. Albany includes more than just Office, however.“Albany” is the codename for a new all-in-one subscription service of essential software and services consumers told us were most important to them. We’ve pulled together the productivity tools people need to organize their lives, security to help keep their personal information safe and online services that make it easy for them to keep in touch with friends and family, and folded them all into a single service that also ensures the user’s PC is running the...
Read more...
Multi-socket Nehalems paired with MetaRAM could provide some jaw-dropping numbers. Here's a look at what dual-CPU boards might be able to accomplish:“Up to 16GB DDR3-1333 modules can be created, allowing up to 96GB RAM per CPU, or 192GB per dual-CPU board. If you go for slower DDR3-1066 and boards with three DIMMs per channel,- nine DIMMs per CPU - we have 144GB per CPU, or 288GB memory per mobo!”We’re certainly impressed by numbers like those, but we’ll wait until we can actually benchmark such a system’s memory performance before we draw any concrete conclusions....
Read more...
